Volunteers Hold Cleanup Day at Edgewater Park in Mount Vernon, Removing 26 Boat Loads of Garbage

Mount Vernon, WA – Volunteers gathered at Edgewater Park in Mount Vernon on Saturday, March 31, 2018, to begin cleanup of the park and surrounding areas.

At least 30 volunteers were able to clear out 26 boat loads of garbage. They also recovered at least 200 used needles, filling multiple sharps containers. The area that was cleaned was near the back of Edgewater Park, and much of the garbage removed was from abandoned homeless camps.

Aside from the above-mentioned volunteers, there were many local people and groups that made this day possible! A special thanks goes out to these folks: the Sprintcar 74 Fuentes Motorsports Race Team, the Coastal Conservation Association, the Wildcat Steelhead Club, the Skagit County Environmental Health Department, Tom at the Mount Vernon Parks and Recreation Department, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Leckenby Family and their employees at Crawford Garage Doors.

The Skagit County Environmental Health Department provided dump vouchers for all waste collected. Tom with Mount Vernon Parks and Rec provided sharps containers, garbage bags, and a dumpster.

Despite the huge amounts of waste removed, there are still areas remaining that the volunteers could not reach during yesterday’s event. They plan to have another cleanup day on “Earth Day” which is Sunday, April 22.

The start time for the “Earth Day” event has not been determined yet, but Skagit Breaking will release additional information about it as it becomes available. Volunteers will be needed for this as well! If you’re able, please plan to attend and help make a difference in Skagit County!

 

*All photos used in this article were taken, and submitted by, volunteer Andrea Harrison!